Happy Birthday song set for public domain after long feud

Los Angeles

ONE of the world's most recognisable songs, Happy Birthday to You, looks finally set to be free for everyone to sing. After prolonged legal wrangling, US publisher Warner/Chappell Music agreed to pay US$14 million in a settlement that would end its claims to the song's copyright.

The dispute began in 2013 after filmmakers looking at the history of Happy Birthday to You baulked at the US$1,500 which the publisher demanded for the song's use. The filmmakers filed a class action suit on behalf of people who paid to use the song, which became popular in the United States a century ago and has since spread globally.